About saying no during Pentecost, 50 singing men in a warehouse, and the price of fame
Pentecost weekend. Everyone out on boats, terraces, soaking up the sun.
Me? Working on my training sixteen hours a day.
No to the boat.
No to the terrace.
No to “let’s quickly visit a market.”
James Clear wrote: when you say no, you say no to one thing. When you say yes, you say no to everything else you could’ve done with that time.
Further in Peek in my Week #43:
The price of fame became painfully clear again
50 men in a warehouse who left me speechless
Two ways to grow…
Delivering decks and the responses coming in from all over the world
No is not a missed opportunity.
No is making space for what truly matters.
On Jimmy in the mud, a training turned upside down, and the Luxor Theater
I almost skipped this week.
Too busy. Restructured my whole training. Easy excuse.
But James Clear wrote:
“The issue isn’t skipping once. It’s that you practice being someone who skips.”
So here’s pearl 42.
About my son falling into the mud, Michael Singer on emotions, Queen at Luxor with my sister, and a tiny bedtime moment that stayed with me.
“If you don’t let go inside, the inside will run the outside.”
I felt that this week.
About a deck going around the world, rocks in the river, and disappearing into a role
The deck is outttt. From the Netherlands to India. Pinch me.
Further in Peek in my week #41:
Turning 47 and getting a Jupiter Return “gifted” by my astrologer
Why Michael Singer says: you already feel it, you just think over it
The turd has officially been removed from the pearl (if you read last week, you’ll get it)
Why I’m studying Meryl Streep for my theater training
And Be The Change Day? What a day. Shadow work, sleep tips you’ve probably never heard before, and real connection. On my birthday. Because this isn’t work to me. It’s a mission.
Will you read along with the full Peek in my week again?
On nearly throwing up at the printer, 40 weeks of showing up, and tears near the water
Number 40. Forty weeks of showing up. Every single week. Not perfect. But 40 pearls on the string, turds and all.
And what a week. I was on stage at the Shadow Summit alongside Barry Michels. I nearly threw up in a hotel trash can when the booklets went to the printer. And I stood in 16-degree water with tears rolling down my face.
One thing that stuck with me this week: stop starting, start finishing. Sometimes the bravest choice isn’t starting something new. It’s parking something.
I’d love to hear what you think.
💞 Syl
Over giving feedback to your hero, the turd in the pearl, and Eric Clapton at 81
Giving feedback to your hero, yes really…
Barry Michels practiced his keynote for the Shadow Summit. With me. And he told the story of Adam and Eve in a way I won’t forget.
Also in Peek in my week #39:
-My first podcast is live, including my inner critic
-Eric Clapton in concert at 81
-What Ford, Stutz, Michels and Clapton have in common
-Why every pearl contains a bit of poop
-The question from Mark Manson that deserves a moment
No one is finished. No one is perfect. No one is “done.” But you have to keep going.
About 90% of women, an evil twin brother, and Ronaldinho as a life coach
May 8. Be The Change day. Tools, shadow work, connection and action. Free. Max 14 people.
But first this week: I stood in front of the mirror. In my underwear. And almost fell for it again. 🙄
90% of women dislike their bodies. Including the coaches.
In this Peek: the teenage girl still standing in my mirror, a client who recognized his own shadow in my cards, and Ronaldinho as a life coach.
Are you reading along again? 👇 Curious what you think and what it does for you. Thank you!
About two years of blood, sweat and tears, twelve characters, and full speed ahead
Two years. Blood, sweat and tears. A gazillion messages with my illustrator. Three test prints because the paper didn’t shuffle right.
But it’s here. 🥁
The State Shift Method® is now available for pre-order.
Also in this week’s Peek in my Week: a film about a Scotsman with Tourette’s that made me cry, the very first Shadow Summit by Barry Michels where I get to present, and releasing my inner freak in theater training.
On saying no, letting go of boxes, and why vulnerability is the glue
Last time I moved with two full cars. This time? Four.
My friend called me out: “Holtslag, what happened?”
So this week: saying no. No to events. No to stuff. Five boxes out the door.
Also in Peek in my Week #36:
🎙️ Podcast with Silvia Bogers on wanting to be seen
🌑 Barry Michels on prayer and vulnerability
🐣 Easter egg hunt powered by AI
🚫 Jamie Rose: “Just fucking say no.”
About questions that aren’t in the books, going out without alcohol, and why perfection is overrated
A new client brought photos of my parents that I had never seen before.
Plus: an interview with Barry Michels (YAY!), dancing until half past two in the morning (completely sober), and a beautiful tool that can help you too.
Peek in my week #35 is here. About letting go, receiving, and living. 💖
PKM, FAIL, on the sidelines
Two years of work. And on Tuesday morning I almost couldn’t bring myself to pick up the pilot copy. 😂
The fear is biggest right before the finish line. But (obviously!) I picked it up anyway. And tested it with people.
More about this week, about AI and intuition, about my son who became champion, and about the James Clear question I can’t shake: in Peek in my Week #34.
Thanks in advance for reading. 🙏
Podcast. Proof copy. Thorn bushes.
My first professionally recorded podcast last week with Sander Veldman.
At some point I did a tool with him. He saw the chaotic part of himself sitting across from him. The part that always has to keep going, do more, be better. (So recognizable!)
The series is called Nondicted: the road to fix-free. Soon online. More about this week in my Peek in my Week. See you next week? Thank you! 🙏
Full moon dip, a wildly important goal, and stopping as a strategy.
Last week, for the first time ever: a full moon dip. The water was something else.
Just like this: “One is not born a woman. One becomes one.”
Maybe that applies to more than you think.
Peek in my Week #32 is here. Thanks for reading. 🙏
